Oh, Vika. I said, "innocents." But that's okay... you always get a pass around these parts.

Well, the season's first results have already been posted in the qualifying rounds in Auckland, Brisbane and Shenzhen. The likes of a certain Serbian Good Luck Charm has tasted victory, while a Japanese fortysomething has already tasted both victory AND defeat in this young campaign. Meanwhile, before their first scheduled matches, top seeds in Shenzhen are sampling the local culture...

...and the Brisbane #1 has already dispensed with January niceties and is focused on the reality of the upcoming twelve months.

Dear New Years Resolution, Well it was fun while it lasted. Sincerely, January 2nd

...well, I might as well start off with an eyebrow-raiser, with the Spaniard who began '14 by winning her first career title in Hobart pulling off a string of huge wins -- possibly over the likes of Azarenka, AnaIvo and Sharapova, with maybe even an additional fourth previous slam winner in Stosur if the Aussie can get past the combo of Lepchenko and the Cibulkova/Keys winner -- to start '15. So, I guess I should go ahead an issue my apology to Garbi right now, just to get it over with.

Of course, not that I'd be teary-eyed if a certain Belarusian proves she's ready to reassert herself in an event in which she finished #2 to Serena last year.

In doubles, the top-seeded duo is the new team of Hsieh Su-Wei & Sania Mirza, as the Taiwanese vet gets in on the I-want-to-play-with-Sania/NO-I-want-to-play-with-Sania! action. Also in the draw: the Rodionovas, AnaIvo/Kerber, Chan Hao-Ching/Peschke, Garcia/Srebotnik and Hingis/Lisicki (as Pennetta is in Perth with signifigant other Fognini).

...Vera starts things off on a good foot, but Petra wins one for Na, and then finally gets an answer to the offseason question, "Is ALL of that smell you?"

By the way, I'm not sure if it answers any questions about her plans for the full season, but with her partnership with Hsieh over, Peng Shuai's first partner of '15 is countrywoman Xu Yifan. Also in the doubles draw, Miss Krunic and her Maiden Tashkent co-champion, Katerina Siniakova.

...not sure if the Dane would take down a healthy and in-form Venus if Williams reaches the Auckland decider for a second straight January, but, well, I HAVE to pick a #1 seed to win in Week 1, don't I? I'm a bit intrigued by Ana Konjuh here, who opens vs. #8 Barthel, and could face Venus in the QF. The Croat made her WTA debut in this event a year ago and upset #1-seeded Roberta Vinci in the 1st Round. Meanwhile, there's an opening for a certain Current player to slip through the bottom section of the draw and reach her first tour semifinal in nearly two years... but what are the chances of that happening?

...so, Aga gets an early chance to be a finisher after having such a hard time accomplishing similar missions over the past eighteen months, including in last year's Hopman final. With Jerzy Janowicz at her side after he missed this event a year ago with an injury (Grzegorz Panfil, we hardly knew ye), Aga... this time loses to the which-serve-do-YOU-want-to-face? duo of Serena and Isner.

Sure, it would mean little regarding her season, but it would officially kick off what will surely -- it it lasts, that is -- be one of the enduring intriguing questions of 2015: Is "Agalova" a sign of great things to come, or just a cruel joke?

16 Comments:

(Clears throat.) Like I said, my apologies to Muguruza, whose ankle didn't even have the courtesy to allow the Spaniard to play a match in Brisbane before forcing her to w/d and scuttle my very first weekly pick of the season.

Yeah, I always knew Ka.Pliskova was a possibility to take out Vika in the 1st Round. But, still, after not playing for so long, then winning the 1st set, holding 2 MP in the 2nd, and being on serve until very deep in the 3rd against a would-be Top 20 player with the second-most lethal serve (aces-wise) on tour last year, not defending those Brisbane RU points doesn't look all that bad as it might have had she gone out without a fight (she didn't pull a Stosur, and blow a 5-1 3rd set advantage). That's a match toughness issue, and that skill should come back soon.

Maybe not by the time she leaves Melbourne (especially since she might get a very bad draw w/o a seed next to her name), but soon afterward.

For some reason I thought Azarenka's comeback would be more of a slog...but she actually looked pretty good in Brisbane. She's not too far from top form. She has some pop on her shots again...just poor shot selection at critical junctures. I do think that shot penetration is something that will trouble Azarenka this year...she wins by grinding and I felt like a lot of shotmakers made their presence known in 2014 while Azarenka was away.

This was the first time I had watched Pliskova play. Her serve is wicked good. Her forehand seems to be the weaker side...and her movement to the forehand wing can improve a bit. She's not the fastest player, but her lateral movement wasn't too shabby.

vika's first set was quite impressive after long laid off. i was more surprised to see that. but again you wondered if she could keep up and well, she got tight.

a bit disappointed that she couldn't make those MPs worked. that's one of her weaknesses, she went passive on set points and match points always waiting for others to make mistake. she should always step on the gas than easing off. she got to learn from it. if she can't control her UEs, she is what the ranking suggested, not even a top 20 player. i think she will continue to run into those problems if she can't turn those errors around. but as long as she is healthy, she is too much a competitor to not want to win badly.

i think serena would like to see bouchard again in AO, so she can get her revenge. hehe. now she is worked up as it seems like a disgrace to lose 1 & 2, so might be for the better for motivation to do well afterall.

Nothing against Bacsinszky, but it'd be even a little better if it'd been Halep vs. Kvitova. And not just because it would have meant I was eight-for-eight in my Week 1 finalist picks, counting the USA/POL Hopman Cup final.

Serena was terrible against Aga in Perth. Bad attitude, slow feet, trying to beat Aga at court craft -- which is just not going to happen. She was also actively NOT putting easy balls away. I can't imagine that Patrick was too happy with her. We haven't seen that version of Serena since 2007. I hope she hasn't *regressed* since achieving 18.